Washington (AFP) - Vice President Mike Pence on
Thursday unveiled details of plans to build a US Space
Force that would become the sixth branch of America's
massive military, saying the "time has come" to prepare
for "the next battlefield."

President Donald Trump ordered the creation of Space
Force in June, arguing the Pentagon needs it to tackle
vulnerabilities in space and assert US dominance in
orbit.

Its creation however is not a done deal, as it needs
to be approved by Congress, and the concept has met with
some skepticism from lawmakers and defense officials who
are wary of the cost and added bureaucracy.

But Pence was unequivocal in presenting the
administration's wish for it to become a reality --
preferably by 2020, the end of Trump's term in office.

"The time has come to write the next great chapter in
the history of our armed forces, to prepare for the next
battlefield where America's best and bravest will be
called to deter and defeat a new generation of threats to
our people, to our nation," Pence told an audience at the
Pentagon.

"The time has come to establish the United States
Space Force," he said, repeating Trump's call for
Congress to invest an additional $8 billion in US space
security systems over the next five years.

The creation of a US Space Force reflects the
drastically changed reality of space's role in national
security.

When president John F. Kennedy delivered a speech in
1962 explaining why America was sending men to the Moon,
he famously said, "There is no strife, no prejudice, no
national conflict in outer space as yet."

But 56 years later, space plays a vital role in just
about every aspect of modern warfare, with many military
technologies reliant on a network of sensors and
satellites floating in orbit.

Pence said an independent Space Force was essential to
counter Russia and China, which are "aggressively"
working toward anti-satellite capabilities.

"China and Russia have been conducting highly
sophisticated on-orbit activities that could enable them
to maneuver their satellites into close proximity of
ours, posing unprecedented new dangers to our space
systems," he said.

The White House said in a statement that "President
Trump knows that space is integral to our American way of
life and economic prosperity, and is a vital domain for
national defense."

Currently, the Air Force oversees most space
capabilities and there is some push back from officials
who worry Space Force's mission would be duplicative and
create turf wars.

Given the stakes surrounding building a new branch of
the military, the issue is likely to be a political
football.

No Republican is willing to tell Trump it's a "dumb
idea," added the lawmaker from Hawaii. "It's dangerous to
have a leader who cannot be talked out of crazy ideas."

The Pentagon's existing military branches are: the
Navy, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Army and Air Force.

US Space Command

Pence outlined a series of steps the Pentagon will
undertake ahead of the creation of Space Force.

Key among these is the creation of US Space Command, a
new organizational body that would draw in members of
existing military branches.

The vast US military divides the globe into various
commands, such as Central Command in the Middle East or
Indo-Pacific Command in Asia, and so a new Space Command
would be on an equal footing with these.

It would require a new headquarters and major
organizational changes.

The Pentagon sent a report to Congress on Tuesday
detailing steps towards meeting Trump's order.

The document outlines how America's military is at
risk in space due to adversaries pursuing "counter-space"
capabilities to neutralize America's satellites during a
conflict, such as by jamming or hacking them.

"It is imperative that the United States adapts its
policies, doctrine, and capabilities to protect our
interests," the document states.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said this week that Pence
is Trump's "point man" for Space Force, and Pentagon
officials are working closely with his office.

But just last year, Mattis voiced skepticism on the
need to create a separate Space Force.

In a letter to a US congressman, he said he did "not
wish to add a separate service that would likely present
a narrower and even parochial approach to space
operations," adding it would create extra bureaucracy and
cost.

On Tuesday, however, the Pentagon chief said he fully
supported the idea of creating a new US Space Command.

"We need to address space as a developing,
war-fighting domain and a combatant command is certainly
one thing that we can establish," he said.